Outdoor power equipment incorporating starter battery with integrated push button

ABSTRACT

A starter battery pack with a start button included as part of the starter battery pack is shown and described. The starter battery pack includes a start button that, when the starter battery pack is received within a receptacle of outdoor power equipment, such as a lawn tractor, allows the starter battery pack to provide power to a starting circuit of the power equipment. The battery pack is selectively rechargeable and preferably is a type of battery, such as lithium ion, that can be repeatedly discharged and recharged without affecting battery life. When the starter battery pack is received within the receptacle, activation of the start button provides current and voltage front the starter battery pack to an electric starter motor, which initiates operation of the internal combustion engine.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/943,024 filed Feb. 21, 2014,and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/027,824 filed Jul.23, 2014, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a starting circuit for use withoutdoor power equipment such as a lawn tractor. More specifically, thepresent disclosure relates to a starter battery pack that includes astart button and is removably received in a battery receptacle of theoutdoor power equipment.

Presently, many different types of outdoor power equipment include,electronic starting circuits that allow the user to start the internalcombustion engine of the outdoor power equipment through either a switchor a push button. Most of these starting systems typically include alead acid battery that provides the voltage and current required foractivating the starting system of the outdoor power equipment. In manycases, the lead acid battery is a 12-volt battery that is rechargedduring operation of the outdoor power equipment.

Although lead acid batteries have been used for a very long, time andare relatively inexpensive, if the voltage, stored by the lead acidbattery is completely depleted, the lead acid battery may becomeineffective at storing a charge and would thus need to be replaced.Since many pieces of outdoor power equipment can sit idle for extendedperiods of time, if the lead acid battery is not removed and keptcharged, the lead acid battery can become completely discharged and thusmust be replaced.

Presently, some types of lawn and garden equipment utilize a lithium ionbattery pack to provide primary power for the lawn and garden equipment.As an example, leaf blowers, weed trimmers and edgers often use lithiumbattery packs to provide continuous running power for the equipment Oncethe equipment is no longer in use, the lithium ion battery pack isremoved and recharged utilizing a wall charger. Lithium ion batterypacks can be completely discharged and subsequently recharged withoutany damage to the storage capacity of the battery. However, lithium ionbattery packs are significantly more expensive than lead acid batteries.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a starter battery pack for use with apiece of outdoor power equipment, such as a lawn tractor. Morespecifically, the starter battery pack includes a push-to-start buttonor switch such that when the starter battery pack is received on theoutdoor power equipment, the push-to-start button can be utilized tosupply power from the starter battery pack to a starter motor toinitiate operation of the internal combustion engine of the powerequipment.

The outdoor power equipment, such as a lawn tractor, includes aninternal combustion engine. The power equipment further includes anelectric starter motor that is coupled to the internal combustion engineto start the internal combustion engine. The electric starter motorreceives a supply of electric power from a starter battery pack that canbe removed and received on the outdoor power equipment. In oneembodiment, the starter battery pack includes a plurality of individualbattery cells that provide the required current and voltage to activatethe electric starter motor. The starter battery pack can include aplurality of individual battery cells, such as lithium ion batterycells.

The starter battery pack includes a start button or switch formed aspart of the starter battery pack. The start button in located on asurface or face of the starter battery pack such that the start buttonis accessible to a user when the starter battery pack is received on theoutdoor power equipment. When the start button is activated by a user,the voltage and current stored within the starter battery pack issupplied to the electric starter motor. The power supplied by thestarter battery pack is sufficient to allow the starter motor toinitiate operation of the internal combustion engine.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the outdoor power equipmentincludes a battery receptacle that is mounted somewhere on the outdoorpower equipment. The battery receptacle is sized to removably receivethe starter battery pack and provide an electrical connection betweenthe starter battery pack and the electric starter motor. The starterbattery pack and the battery receptacle are designed such that the startbutton is accessible to the user when the starter battery pack isreceived in the battery receptacle. The starter battery pack is designedto be removable from the battery receptacle for recharging without anyadditional tools. In one contemplated embodiment, the starter batterypack and the battery receptacle can include unique mating componentssuch that only a certain starter battery pack can be received within thebattery receptacle on the outdoor power equipment.

The outdoor power equipment can further include an engine controlcircuit that allows electric power to be directed to the starter motorupon activation of the start button when the internal combustion engineis not operating. Once the internal combustion engine begins to operate,the engine control circuit disconnects the starter battery pack from thestarter motor to prevent undesired discharge of the starter batterypack.

During operation of the internal combustion engine, if the start buttonon the starter battery pack is depressed, the engine control circuitterminates operation of the internal combustion engine. In this manner,the start button contained on the starter battery pack can control boththe initial activation and termination of operation of the internalcombustion engine.

The starter battery pack can further include one or more indicators thatprovide a visual indication of operating parameters of either thestarter battery pack or the internal combustion engine. In onecontemplated embodiment, the visual indicator indicates the state ofcharge of the battery pack. In another alternate embodiment, theindicators indicate the operating state of the internal combustionengine.

Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will bemade apparent from the following description taken together with thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a lawn tractor incorporating thestarter battery with integrated push button of the present disclosure:

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the from dash of the lawntractor showing the battery receptacle and the starter battery pack;

FIG. 3 is a magnified view similar to FIG. 3 showing the receipt of thestarter battery pack within the battery receptacle;

FIG. 4 is a view showing the starter battery pack removed from thebattery receptacle of one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a wall charger utilized torecharge the starter battery pack;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the operating components of thestarter battery pack; and

FIG. 7 is a circuit schematic illustrating one embodiment of thestarting circuit contained within the starter battery pack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a starting system for an internalcombustion engine of a piece of outdoor power equipment. This equipmentcould include a snowthrower, a power washer, a portable generator, apower tiller, a walk behind mower, turf-care equipment, a zero-turnradius mower, a garden tractor, off-road utility vehicles, all-terrainvehicles or other engine driven outdoor power equipment such as a lawntractor. The drawing figures depict the use of the starting system witha lawn tractor. However, it should be understood that the startingsystem could be utilized with other types of outdoor power equipmentwhile falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a riding lawn tractor 10 that includes a mowingassembly 11 mounted beneath a vehicle chassis 12 supported by fourwheels 14. The lawn tractor 10 includes an internal combustion enginethat powers both the rear drive wheels and the mower blade containedwithin the mowing assembly 11. A steering wheel 16 allows an operatorpositioned in the seat 18 to control the movement of the lawn tractor10, as is conventional. The details of the lawn tractor 10 shown in FIG.1 are meant of illustrative purposes only, since the lawn tractor 10could have various different operator controls and physicalconfigurations while falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 generally illustrates the molded shell of a dashboard 20 that isvisible to the operator when the operator is in the seated position, inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 2, many of the operating controls anddisplays are removed from the molded shell of the dashboard 20. However,it should be understood that these controls and displays would beincluded in the dashboard 20 when the dashboard 20 is installed on thelawn tractor.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the dashboard 20 includes a starterbattery receptacle 22 that is received within a cutout 24 formed in thedashboard 20. The starter battery receptacle 22 includes a series ofelectrical contacts 23 that are connected to electrical wires (notshown) that lead to the starter motor. The electrical contact 23 of thebattery receptacle engage similar contacts 27 on the starter batterypack and thus provide the electrical connection from the battery pack tothe electric starter motor.

The battery receptacle 22 includes a latching mechanism that holds thestarter battery pack 26 within the battery receptacle 22 during use. Thestarter battery pack 26 includes one or more release buttons 25 that maybe depressed by an operator to release the starter battery pack 26 fromthe receptacle 22. The release button or buttons 25 allow the starterbattery pack to be removed from the battery receptacle 22 without anyexternal tools. The starter battery pack 26 locks or latches into placein the battery receptacle 22 to securely hold the starter battery packduring operation of the lawn tractor or other outdoor power equipment.FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the receipt of a lithium ion (Li-Ion) starterbattery pack 26 within the battery receptacle 22. The starter batterypack 26 includes an outer housing that surrounds a plurality ofindividual lithium ion battery cells that combine to generate an outputvoltage and current. Although Li-Ion is the preferred type of batterychemistry, other battery chemistries could be utilized within the scopeof the present disclosure. The starter battery pack 26 acts as thestarting battery for providing electrical energy to an electric startermotor mounted on the internal combustion engine of the lawn tractor.When the start button 28, which may be a push button, an inductive orcapacitive sensor or a key switch, is activated by the operator,electrical energy from the starter battery pack 26 is delivered to theelectric starter motor and the internal combustion engine is started.

Although not illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer housing of thestarter battery pack 26 includes one or more alignment grooves that areused to guide the starter battery pack 26 into position within thebattery receptacle 22. The alignment grooves and the release button 25allow the starter battery pack 26 to be accurately positioned within thebattery receptacle 22 such that the contacts on the battery pack alignwith the contacts within the battery receptacle 22. The battery pack canbe removed from the battery receptacle 22 by depressing the releasebutton 25 and physically moving the battery pack away from thereceptacle. The removable starter battery pack. 26 may be furtherconfigured with a security device to prevent unauthorized starting ofthe lawn tractor. That is, the starter battery pack 26 may beelectronically configured to be unique to the particular lawn tractorthat it is used with, not unlike a garage door opener or remote-entryfob for a vehicle. A transmitter, hardwired communications interface, RFtag, or other wireless interface (Bluetooth/WiFi/NFC/etc.) within thestarter battery pack 26 may sync to a receiver located on the piece ofequipment or within the receptacle 22 contained on the equipment to bestarted to allow for a “handshake” authorization to start the engine ofthe equipment. Thus, not only can the operator ensure that the enginewill not be started if a battery pack is not mounted to the appropriatereceptacle, but the equipment may further limit the particular batterypack used to start the engine. This configuration provides greatersecurity and ensures that only authorized use of the equipment ispossible.

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the starter battery pack 26 includes astart button 28 formed on one face or surface of the battery packhousing such that the start button 28 is accessible to the operatorthrough the outer housing of the starter battery pack 26 when thestarter battery pack 26 in received within the battery receptacle. It iscontemplated that the starter battery pack 26 could be received in thebattery receptacle 22 at various different angles depending on thelocation of the battery receptacle on the power equipment. In thesedifferent configurations, the start button 28 may be located ondifferent faces or surfaces of the battery housing as long as the startbutton 28 is readily accessible to the user.

The start button 28 on the battery pack allows the operator to initiateoperation of the internal combustion engine of the lawn tractor. In theembodiment illustrated, the start button 28 is a push-to-operate buttoncan be backlit to make it more clearly visible to the user thatdepression of the start button 28 will begin operation of the internalcombustion engine of the lawn tractor. In alternative embodiments, otheruser-operated interfaces may be provided, on the battery pack tofunction as the start button to allow the user to start the internalcombustion engine, such as but not limited to a key switch, a resistiveor capacitive touch sensor, a slide switch, a turn switch or othersimilar device.

Although the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a push-to-startbutton 28, the receptacle 22 could be configured such that the internalcombustion engine would automatically start when the starter batterypack 26 is received within the battery receptacle 22. In such anembodiment, the start button 28 could be utilized to terminate operationof the internal combustion engine after the engine has started afterinsertion of the starter battery pack. 26 as desired by the user.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front display portion ofthe starter battery pack 26 includes a pair of visual indicators 30 and32 that can be used to relay information to the operator. As an example,the visual indicator 30 could be used to indicate current cranking ofthe engine while indicator 32 could be used to indicate operation of theinternal combustion engine. One of the visual indicators 30 and 32 couldalso be configured to indicate the current state of charge of thestarter battery pack 26.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the start button 28 could be apush-and-hold-to-crank button such that the user would hold down thestart button 28 until the engine started. Alternatively, the starterbattery pack 26 could be configured to allow the user to simply tap thestart button 28 such that the starting circuit would initiate operationof the internal combustion engine.

Although the battery receptacle 22 is shown in the embodiment of FIGS.2-4 as being positioned on the front of the dashboard, it should beunderstood that the battery receptacle could be located at differentpositions on the lawn tractor. As an example, the battery receptaclecould be positioned closer to the seat of the lawn tractor or below thesteering column. Additionally, the configuration of the batteryreceptacle and the physical configuration of the starter battery pack 26could also be modified. As one contemplated embodiment, the batteryreceptacle could be configured as a vertical cylinder that is designedto receive a drop in starter battery pack. In such an embodiment, thebattery pack could simply be dropped into the battery receptacle and thestart button 28 would be visible from the exterior of the tractor-board.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-3, a user can depress the start button 28 tobegin the operation of the internal combustion engine. When the startbutton 28 is depressed, the lithium ion starter battery pack 26 providesa relatively high current to the electric starter motor to start theinternal combustion engine. Once the internal combustion engine hasstarted, the user can again depress the start button 28 to terminateoperation of the internal combustion engine. In this manner, the startbutton 28 can function as both a starting button and a stopping button.

As described previously, the starter battery pack 26 can includealignment grooves that can be uniquely configured such that the starterbattery pack 26 works only with authorized lawn tractors. Alternatively,the starter battery pack 26 can be created with other types of securitymeasures to insure that the starter battery pack. 26 works only withdesired lawn tractors. When the starter battery pack 26 is configuredwith such security feature, the starter battery pack 26 can function asa “key” to insure that only the specified starter battery pack for thelawn tractor can be used to start the lawn tractor.

As another alternate embodiment, if the starter battery pack 26 isremoved from the lawn tractor, the removal could electrically short theignition, thereby forcing a shutdown. The removal of the starter batterypack 26 in such an embodiment would function as another way to terminateoperation of the internal combustion engine of the lawn tractor.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the internal components of the starter batterypack 26 are illustrated. The starter battery pack 26 includes a controlunit 40. The control unit 40 controls the functionality of the starterbattery pack 26 and receives an input signal from the user through thestart button 26. The control unit 40 is in communication with theindividual internal lithium ion battery cells 42 such that the controlunit 40 can monitor the charging status of the battery cells 42. Thecontrol unit is in further communication with the LED display 44 suchthat the control unit 40 can indicate to the user the amount of chargeremaining on the battery 42. In an alternate embodiment, the controlunit 40 could show the estimated number of starts remaining in thestarter battery pack. In such an embodiment, the user could then makedecisions about use of the lawn tractor before recharging the starterbattery pack 26. It is also contemplated that the outdoor powerequipment could include an internal charging circuit such that theoperation of the internal combustion engine would recharge the starterbattery pack when installed on the power equipment. A memory device 46is in communication with the control unit such that the control unit 40can store information regarding the time of use of the lawn tractor.

The control unit 40 is in further communication with a switching device48 that is positioned between the battery cells 42 and an electricstarting motor 50. The switching device 48 can have many different formswhile operating with the scope of the present disclosure. In theembodiment illustrated, the switch 48 is a simple switch that, whenactivated by the control unit 40, provides an electric path from thebattery cells 42, through the battery receptacle and to the startingmotor 50. The switching device 48 could also be replaced with differenttypes of solid state switching devices, such as a transistor or MOSFET,while operating within the scope of the present disclosure.

The starting motor 50, in turn, is operatively connected to the internalcombustion engine 52 and, when supplied with power, starts the internalcombustion engine. Thus, when a user depresses the start button 28, thedepression of the start button 28 is sensed by the control unit 40 whichcloses the switching device 48. Closure of the switching device 48allows voltage and current to flow from the battery cells 42 through thebattery receptacle and to the starting motor 50.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 is a simplified version of the electroniccomponents contained within the starter battery pack 26. In an alternateembodiment, the control unit 40 could be connected to one or moresensors that could be utilized to indicate starting of the internalcombustion engine. As an illustrative example, the control unit could beconnected to a vibration sensor. The vibration sensor could detect whenthe internal combustion engine starts and, based upon this information,the control unit would then open the switch 48 to disrupt the supply ofvoltage and current to the electric starting motor 50. In an embodimentin which the battery pack receptacle is located away from the internalcombustion engine, it is desirable that the control unit 40 be able torecognize when the internal combustion engine has started. In someembodiments, wiring from the internal combustion engine could bedirected to the receptacle and thus the battery pack. However it isdesirable that no additional wiring be needed from the receptacle to theinternal combustion engine to reduce the complexity of the connectionswithin the outdoor power equipment

It is contemplated that the starter battery pack 26 could include awireless receiver that would receive wireless signals from controlcircuits used to operate the internal combustion engine. In this manner,the starter battery pack 26 could receive an indication that the enginehas started without requiring a hard wire connection between thereceptacle and the control circuit for the internal combustion engine.It is contemplated that a MEMS sensor could be one type of sensorutilized with the control unit of the battery pack. The MEMS sensorcould be used to detect vibration. In such an embodiment, the controlunit 40 can then determine whether the engine is started withoutrequiring any hard wire connections to the engine control circuit.

FIG. 5 illustrates a wall charger 60 that could be utilized to rechargethe starter battery pack 26. The wall charger 60 includes a power cord62 connected to a wall outlet 64. Alternatively, the wall charger 60could plug directly into the wall socket without the need for the powercord 62. In yet another contemplated embodiment, a wall charger couldplug into the wall outlet and include a charging cord having a plug thatis received within the starter battery pack, such as a common DC barrelplug/jack that is often used on PC equipment. In the embodiment shown,the wall charger 60 charges the starter battery pack 26 when the starterbattery pack 26 is received within the receptacle 66.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the wall charger 60 includes adisplay 68 that can be used to present the user with informationregarding the outdoor power equipment on which the starter battery pack26 is utilized. As described with reference to FIG. 6, the starterbattery pack 26 includes a memory 46 that can be used by the controlunit to store various different types of operational informationregarding the internal combustion engine of the outdoor power equipment.In one example, the control unit can store time of use information, thenumber of starts of the internal combustion engine per charge on thestarter battery pack, the number of hours of operation and total numberof starts.

When the starter battery pack 26 is received within the receptacle 66 ofthe wall charger 60, the wall charger can read the memory containedwithin the starter battery pack and display information on the displayscreen 68. For example, the wall charger could inform the owner of thenumber of hours of operation of the power equipment and the number oftimes the equipment has been started. This information can be used bythe owner to determine the remaining useful life of the battery pack. Inaddition, the wall charger 60 can be configured to send information toanother device or a software application over a wireless network, awired network, a PLC power line network or any other type ofcommunication system. The information received from the starter batterypack 26 can be used to analyze the operation of the outdoor powerequipment.

The display 68 of the wall charger 60 can be configured to display otherinformation to the operator, such as the status of maintenance intervalsbased on the number of hours of operation of the power equipment and theefficiency of the outdoor power equipment based upon the dischargestatus of the starter battery pack 26.

Although not illustrated in the drawing Figures, the system of thepresent disclosure could include an interface that would allow multiplebattery packs to be connected in parallel with each other. In such asystem, at least one of the battery packs would include a push buttonthat would allow the voltage and current from the parallel connectedbattery packs to flow to the starting circuit of the outdoor powerequipment. Such an embodiment may be utilized when the multiple batterypacks are combined and used with a snow thrower that operates insub-zero temperatures. Parallel connected battery packs would also bedesirable in embodiments where the battery packs are used to startlarger engines that require more current to crank over than can beprovided by a single battery pack. In such systems, it is againcontemplated that only one of the battery packs would include the startbutton.

As indicated in the above description, the starter battery pack 26includes a start button 28 that is included within the battery pack suchthat the battery pack and start button would be removable as a singleunit. The start button on the battery pack allows the user to initiateoperation of the lawn tractor right from the battery pack and preventsoperation when the battery pack is not present. The connection betweenthe battery pack and the starting system of the lawn tractor can vary.In addition, the control circuit contained within the battery pack canalso vary in complexity and functionality. However, integrating the pushbutton directly into the battery pack allows the system of the presentdisclosure to eliminate the need for a lead acid battery while alsopresenting the push button at a desirable location for the user.

FIG. 7 illustrates one possible embodiment of the engine control circuit98 that is incorporated into the battery receptacle or the powerequipment and can be utilized to provide the 12-volt output from thestarter battery pack 100 to the electric starter motor to initiateoperation of the internal combustion engine of the lawn tractor. Theengine control circuit 98 can be located in any one of multiplelocations on the outdoor power equipment. A preferred location is withinthe battery receptacle.

Although the engine control circuit is shown outside of the starterbattery pack 100 in FIG. 7, it is contemplated that the engine controlcircuit 98 could be contained within the starter battery pack 100. Insuch an embodiment, the size of the starter battery pack 100 would needto be increased to include all of the operating components andadditional electrical I/O connections from internal combustion enginewould need to be provided to the starter battery pack 100. For thisreason, in the preferred embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 7the engine control circuit 98 is located outside of the starter batterypack 100 and is electrically connected to the starter battery pack asshown.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the start button 28 is included in the starterbattery pack 100 and is connected to an enable pin 102. When the batterypack 100 is installed into the battery receptacle and the operatordepresses the start button 28, ground 104 of the switching relay 106 isconnected to the enable pin 102. When ground is connected to the enablepin 102, the battery electronics turn on the 12-volt output whichprovides the 12-volt output to the electric starter motor, therebycausing the starter motor to stall cranking the internal combustionengine.

As the engine rotates during the starting process, the rotation of theengine generates positive pulses on both ignition coils of the twincylinder engines. These pulses are seen on terminals 108 and 110. In anembodiment in which only a single cylinder engine is utilized, only asingle ignition signal would be provided.

The positive voltage pulses present at terminals 108 and 110 begin tocharge capacitor 112. As the engine speed increases, the pulses at theterminals 108, 110 become more frequent and begin to increase the chargethe capacitor 112. Once the charge on the capacitor 112 is sufficient,the charge on the capacitor 112 turns on the relay coil 118 containedwithin the relay 106. Once the relay coil 118 is turned on, the switchwithin the relay 106 opens, thereby disconnecting the ground 104 fromthe enable pin 102. At this time, the controller within the battery pack100 determines that the internal combustion engine has begun operation.

Once the ground has been removed from the enable pin 102, the enableterminal is connected to the base of MOSFET 120. When the engine isrunning, if the operator again depresses the start button 28, the secondpress of the start button routes the 3.3 volt signal present at terminal121 within the battery pack 100 out to the connected base of the MOSFET120. The 3.3 volt signal turns on the MOSFET 120, which in turn turns onMOSFETs 122 and 124. Activation of the MOSFETs 122 and 124 in turn turnson the SCR 126 and the SCR 128. Turning on of the SCRs 126 and 128 killsthe spark signal, which causes the engine to stop operation.

When the engine stops, the signals present at terminals 108 and 110 areeliminated, which discontinues charging of capacitor 112. As thecapacitor 112 discharges, the relay 118 is de-energized, causing, therelay to release and return to the initial condition where the ground104 is connected to the enable pin 102. Upon the next press of the startbutton 28, the process begins again to start the internal combustionengine.

Although one example of the engine control circuit 98 is shown in FIG.7, it should be understood that various other types of circuitry couldbe utilized while operating within the scope of the present disclosure.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to make and use the invention. The patentable scope of the inventionis defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur tothose skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be withinthe scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do notdiffer from the literal language of the claims, or if they includeequivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from theliteral languages of the claims.

We claim:
 1. Outdoor power equipment comprising: an internal combustionengine; an electric starter motor coupled to the internal combustionengine to start the internal combustion engine; a battery receptaclemounted on the outdoor power equipment and electrically connected to thestarter motor; and a starter battery pack configured to be receivedwithin the battery receptacle to provide electric power to the startermotor, wherein the starter battery pack includes a start button suchthat when the starter battery pack is received within the batteryreceptacle and the start button is activated, electric power is suppliedto the starter motor.
 2. The outdoor power equipment of claim 1 whereinthe starter battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells and theplurality of battery cells and the start button are contained within anouter housing.
 3. The outdoor power equipment of claim 2 wherein thestart button is located on the outer housing such that the start buttonis accessible by a user when the starter battery pack is received in thebattery receptacle.
 4. The outdoor power equipment of claim 1 whereinthe starter battery pack includes at least one indicator to visuallyindicate an operating parameter of the starter batter pack or theinternal combustion engine.
 5. The outdoor power equipment of claim 4wherein the operating parameter is at least one of a state of charge ofthe starter battery pack and an operating status of the internalcombustion engine.
 6. The outdoor power equipment of claim 1 wherein thestarter battery pack is removable without tools.
 7. The outdoor powerequipment of claim 1 further comprising an engine control circuitconfigured to allow electric power to be provided to the starter motorupon activation of the start button when the internal combustion engineis not operating and terminate operation of the internal combustionengine upon activation of the start button when the internal combustionengine is operating.
 8. The outdoor power equipment of claim 7 whereinthe engine control circuit is located on the outdoor power equipment. 9.A lawn tractor comprising: an internal combustion engine; an electricstart motor coupled to the internal combustion engine to start theinternal combustion engine; and a starter battery pack configured to bereceived on the lawn tractor to provide electric power to the startermotor, wherein the starter battery pack includes a start button suchthat when the starter battery pack is received on the lawn tractor andthe start button is activated, electric power is supplied to the startermotor.
 10. The lawn tractor of claim 9 further comprising a batteryreceptacle positioned on the lawn tractor and sized to receive thestarter battery pack and allow removal of the starter battery packwithout tools.
 11. The lawn tractor of claim 10 wherein the batteryreceptacle electrically connects the starter battery pack to the startermotor.
 12. The lawn tractor of claim 10 wherein the battery receptacleis contained within a dashboard of the lawn tractor.
 13. The lawntractor of claim 9 wherein the starter battery pack includes at leastone indicator to visually indicate at least one of an operatingparameter of the starter battery pack.
 14. The lawn tractor of claim 9wherein the starter battery pack includes at least one indicator tovisually indicate an operating parameter of the lawn tractor.
 15. Thelawn tractor of claim 9 further comprising an engine control circuitconfigured to allow electric power to be provided to the starter motorupon activation of the start button when the internal combustion engineis not operating and to terminate operation of the internal combustionengine upon activation of the start button when the internal combustionengine is operating.
 16. A starting circuit for providing electric powerto a starter motor to start an internal combustion engine of outdoorpower equipment, comprising: a battery receptacle mounted on the outdoorpower equipment and electrically connected to the starter motor; and astarter battery pack configured to be removably received in the batteryreceptacle to provide electric power to the starter motor, wherein thestarter battery pack includes a start button such that when the starterbattery pack is received within the battery receptacle and the startbutton is activated, electric power is supplied to the starter motor.17. The starting circuit of claim 16 wherein the starter battery packincludes a plurality of battery cells and the plurality of battery cellsand the start button are contained within an outer housing.
 18. Thestarting circuit of claim 17 wherein the plurality of battery cells arelithium ion battery cells.
 19. The starting circuit of claim 16 furthercomprising an engine control circuit configured to allow electric powerto be provided to the starter motor upon activation of the start buttonwhen the internal combustion engine is not operating and to terminateoperation of the internal combustion engine upon activation of the startbutton when the internal combustion engine is operating.
 20. Thestarting circuit of claim 16 wherein the battery receptacle and thestarter battery pack communicate with each other to authenticate thestarter battery pack with the battery receptacle.